Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-01-13

| sion that be had dropped Il himself Thea b
/ stole out OF the crowd and reentered the trail
three compartments away from the one he hat
left In few moments he was a differen
man. He had burned the hair of the beard
twisted up the wire and thrown II out Of III,
| window, turned up the brim Of his hat, turned
down the collar Of bis eost, aud put on a SILK
muller Moreover, he had tsken a bottle Of
wat. from his pocket with which, leaning out
of the window, he had saturated his umbrella.
| Oh! he was another Saan altogether and a
passenger from Baker Street TO Noting Hill
Gate And three compartments from him
was discoved self-slain man, knife still IN
hand Dr. Ford stared at his visitor IN
amazemeut He could not see his face, how.
ever, for the lamp was shaded and bis hand
| was against his cheek Was be mad And
murderer, tool CT ayictim TO terrible but
absurd faHciesi
"And why did be do lts'' asked the doctor,
| throwing a soothing scepticism into his Toice
Merlln's right hand slowly sank from his
cheek TO the table, aud rested ON an ivory pa
per-knlfe. At that moment his dark face be-
came illumined by the glare from fresh coal
on the fire, which suddenly caught ablsze.
Seeing that face, the doctor shuddered. Its
sharp lines were drawn and twisted into bid.
eous shape by he demons within the man.
Terror, hatred and craft were all written there
ia intertwisted contorted characters, and the
bot, snllen eges, shifting and reasonless,
| glowed like fire from within dark eaverns.
"'fhe motivei'' said the mad man, jerking
| the words out and fldgeting 10 bis chair, while
the doctor watched him, calmly but vigilantly.
a new motisei Coneeit sublime or dam
nsble, which you wilI--but eonceit. The
! papers, the public and the police had said Of
ten that II could not be done, at least not
without detection. 1.-the bearded man,
Dean--hc proved that Il could, and proved
| great truth Well!' he continued. after
| moments pause, bis voice rising sharply and
harsbly, sis that not sufficient Had you
been in the carriage instead Of Cowsu, you
| would have died as he did. Why do you look
| at me like that Isn't IL enough that dead
ewes follow met He tries to speak--you don't.
! His lips move, but the blood floods bis throat,
and he can only gasp. Hank can sou hear IT.
| Cures on you sir SPEAK, say!f
! Merlin rose TO bis feet HIS thin, sinewy,
right hand grasped the paper knife His eyes
| burned with reveDgef,l, uaurderous fury like
i these Of a wildcat The scalp and ears
| seemed to retreat, as might an Infatuated
MONKEYS, leaving the face more sharply prom
| incnt than before. II was sImost incredible,
aud it struck DIR. Ford-despite the critical
character Of the situation that even the he'll
of madness could transform so handsome
man into such carnate ugliness. The doctor
rose also gazing firmly upon the face of his
dangerous visitor
You have no occasion to be either annoyed
Ia. a 4 4
The story's not quite finished yelled the
| mailman, whose eyes were fixed upon the 9th
er's breast. ,sYou viii have the rest, You
shall struck Cowen thus,p There was a
blow like lightning but the thin, brittle ivo
ry broke haFmlessly against Or. Fori's broad
| chest. The doctors strength was prorerbial
among his male friends. He was set up and
| framed like gladiator. and gifted with extra.
ordinary muscular deyelopm ent Merlin, on
the contrary, was thin and wasted bnt the
| imps which feeds on his reason combine to
strengthen the madmsns sinews The strug.
gle, then, might have been long and severe but
that assistance came aud Merlin was secured.
Then, shrieking aud fosmiug he was carried
away.
However strange II may appear, IL is never.
theless fact that the police stoutly refused
to accept as truth the confession made by Mer-
| lin to DR. Ford. They maintained that it was
purely lively invention Of the madman's and
as no positive proof could be adduced TO sup
port the story, their see ptieal position was re-
ally unassaiabe. Mrs. Cowen believed ii,
however, for some months later she became
Mrs Ford
II is said the doctors reply to the un
believing police was this: "The motive for
the murder, and your motive for refusing to
accept the confession, arc iden,isalm
\
OF the truth of the whole story can youch
! had Ii from the maniac himself. = BsdgraVia
| Hd1a-i,te